The field of the present invention is apparatus for cleaning and maintaining information storage diskettes such as flexible magnetic "floppy" disks and optical-read "compact" disks.
The use of rotating diskettes as storage media for digital information has proven advantageous in the computer industry due to the ability to store large quantities of information which can be readily accessed. Digital storage diskettes are also becoming increasingly popular in the audio field as media for storing optically encoded audio information. In operation, magnetic floppy disks and optical-read compact disks are rotated about a central axis. Information that is encoded on both surfaces thereof in concentric tracks is retrieved by a radially movable read device.
Floppy disks, as the name implies, are relatively flexible and are typically placed in an envelope designed to remain stationary while the disk spins. A central opening in the envelope allows the disk to be engaged by a spindle for rotation while a radial slot therein permits read/write operations. Compact disks are typically formed from rigid plastic and do not require an envelope.
In order to perform satisfactorily, information storage disks should be kept free of dust, oils, and other contaminants which can degrade the quality of the disk surface and result in media failure. Such contaminants may be airborne or deposited by persons handling the disk. Fingerprints are a major problem, particularly in the case of compact disks, which are not enclosed in a protective envelope. Even the most careful user may find it difficult to keep the disk surface free from finger contact.
Proper care of information storage disks thus requires periodic cleaning, preferably using specially formulated solutions which wash the disk surface and may also act as an antistatic agent to limit the accumulation of airborne particulates. Cleaning a disk should not be an overly complicated endeavor. A procedure akin to that used to clean phonograph records would be desirable. However, whereas the cleaning of phonograph records is typically accomplished by placing the record on a turntable and holding a brush or pad over the moving surface, such a procedure may not be practical for cleaning floppy and compact disks. The floppy disk is exposed only through a narrow read/write window in the protective envelope which is not accessible when the disk is inserted in the drive unit. The compact disk is typically not exposed during rotation by the disk player.
Although apparatus for cleaning floppy disks have been proposed, as for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,390,767 4,604,672 and 4,107,810, these devices are relatively complex and perhaps unnecessarily sophisticated for certain users. Apparatus for cleaning compact disks have also been proposed, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,470. That apparatus, however, cleans only one side of a disk at a time and may require excessive amounts of cleaning solution.
Accordingly, an apparatus for cleaning several types of disks, including floppy and compact disks, which is relatively uncomplicated, capable of cleaning both sides of a disk simultaneously and which requires minimal application of cleaning solution, would be desirable.